Innocent Heart Murmur: How to Care for Your Child

Everyone's heart makes sounds when blood pumps through it. In some people, the heart makes an extra sound called a murmur. An innocent heart murmur is a murmur from a normal, healthy heart. 

Kids with an innocent heart murmur don't need any treatment or special care. They can do all activities that other kids do.

Help your child understand what an innocent heart murmur is. Be sure they know that kids with heart murmurs:

• have a normal, healthy heart

• don't need any medicines or treatments

• can do all activities that other kids do

Tell other health care providers about your child's heart murmur. This way they will know it is not a new murmur.

You or your child have any questions about the heart murmur.

Does an innocent heart murmur go away? The murmur may go away completely. Or it may go away for a while and then come back. The murmur may sound louder when a child has a fever or is anxious or excited.

How is an innocent heart murmur diagnosed? Heart murmurs usually are found during routine exams. Health care providers can hear them when they listen to the chest with a stethoscope. Often, no other testing is needed. If health care providers need more information about a child's heart murmur, they might do one or both of these tests:

• an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which checks the electrical activity in the heart. This gives information about how the heart is beating.

• an echocardiogram (echo), which is a type of ultrasound. It uses sound waves to check how the heart is beating and how blood is flowing through the heart and blood vessels.